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Anyone know something about IVO cutlery knives?

I recently bought a set of 5 forged knives (well, 4 knives and shears) from a big store in Canada (Loblaws) under the President's Choice brand (generic brand for a lot of stuff here in Canada).

The thing is, I had some real cheap knives before and these ones cut a lot more than some Victorinox Fibrox/Henckels Twin Master stamped knives I tried recently. However, as I have no idea on how well they were cared for, I cannot compare so let's consider this as anectodal.

Anyways, back to those knives. They are apparently made of german steel (X 55 CR Mo V14) and are made in Portugal. The blade is nicely done, but there are some slight imperfections in the handles. As it's a canadian store brand, there isn't a lot about them on the Internet except that they are apparently nice budget knives for their price. Some compare them to Wüsthof Classic at 1/3 of the retail price, but I never tried those, so here again, I can't compare.

So, I looked up here and there and my search conducted me to IVO Cutlery, Portugal (http://www.ivo-kitchen-knives.com/blademaster.html). After looking on their website, the President's Choice brand forged knives are identical to the IVO BladeMaster serie of forged knives, minus the branding. IVO describe these knives as having a HRC of 56, which isn't bad for a budget knife.

Anyone heard anything about IVO Cutlery? There is little to no information about them on the Internet except what's on their websites, and a few comments on their Facebook page. No reviews; as if no one ever bought any of these knives.

I can't do anecdotal but I can do analogous Your question is not unlike going to a sports car forum and asking about the merits of a yugo. Not to say there are not happy Yugo drivers...

GF has a set of kinives that are a knock off of Henckels 4 star. Look just like them. Cheap. Crap. Other than that they are the same.

Suggest that whatever you've budgeted for a "set", you spend a ONE knife. You can get into a decent knife for 100 bucks. I like Suisin Westerns for inexpensive, others have other preferences but a single knife.

I can't do anecdotal but I can do analogous Your question is not unlike going to a sports car forum and asking about the merits of a yugo. Not to say there are not happy Yugo drivers...

GF has a set of kinives that are a knock off of Henckels 4 star. Look just like them. Cheap. Crap. Other than that they are the same.

Suggest that whatever you've budgeted for a "set", you spend a ONE knife. You can get into a decent knife for 100 bucks. I like Suisin Westerns for inexpensive, others have other preferences but a single knife.

Depending on what kind of knife you use the most, I would start there. Generally speaking, a gyuto or a petty would be my two recommendations. A 100 dollar gyuto can solve all of your problems. I strongly recommend looking at your options in that price range and type of knife before buying a set of knives that will barely come out of the wood block they came in.

Good luck!

"A recipe has no soul. You as the cook must bring soul to the recipe." -Thomas Keller

Ivo Knives are found all over Portugal, as one of the standard knives that a homeowner buys, when he/she needs a decent new knife. I'd liken them to something just below Henckels knives. They cut things fine, are durable and somewhat heavy, they they can take a licking. Trust me, in the average Portuguese kitchen, you need a knife that can take abuse. The average person there doesn't have much money to throw at a knife (or multiple knives), so these effectively do the trick. They get steeled/rubbed on a stone, all to hell, and make meals for families for many years, until they get broken, lost or the blade no longer does what it's supposed to do. I should also say that Ivo are actually out of the price range of most people in Portugal, and most go to the feira (fair/farmers market) and purchase Sical knives (think Cuisinart/Kitchen Aid, with a Euro spin).
I own two Ivo knives, as do my In-Laws. For them, they are perfect, and for me...well, the parer gets used a lot and the Santoku is my designated pizza knife. Works like a charm!

As for the comparison to Victorinox or any brand, I guess someone more knowledgeable than me could help me if they ever try them out. Sure, it cuts things as well as the best knives I tried, but I never tried anything else than a poorly maintened Henckels Twin Chef's knife, a brand new Fibrox and a bunch of el cheapo Wal-Mart et al. knives in various homes.

The bread knife works way better than anything any member of my family have, or anything I ever owned. It simply slices instead of "grabing" into the bread.

The Chef's knife cuts a tad better than my freshly sharpened el cheapo knife but maintains it's edge. I mean, it's sharp (clean cut through paper/folded magazine) but not crazy sharp as most of you guys can get... :P

The paring knife, on the other hand, is really great. I mean, it slices everything smoothly except hard apples where you need to apply more strengh.

As for the utility Knife, I do not know. It's my first one and it cuts as well as the paring knife.

So far, I am pleased considering the price but sure thing, I think I would like to try a "serious" chef's knife. Maybe I'll keep this set for heavy duty stuff and buy a gyuto for dicing/micing/chopping smooth stuff.